The price of organic farming…prison time?
Judges in France are now considering an appropriate punishment for one organic winemaker who has refused to spray his vines with pesticides. Without spraying, they say he could be contributing to further infestation of the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus in the region. As the Guardian in the UK reports, Emmanuel Giboulot now faces a 6-month prison sentence and a €30,000 fine for failing…
International Women’s Day 2014: Women in agriculture
I would like to acknowledge Abigail Rumsey, Claire Curry, Emily Palmer and Léna Durocher-Granger for their contributions to this blog post. For over a century countries globally have celebrated International Women’s Day as a day to reflect on the role of women in society. In honor of International Women’s Day 2014 we are giving a…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (06 Mar 14)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include the first report of Fusarium maize ear rot caused by Fusarium kyushuense in China, the first report of Tobacco streak virus infecting pigeon pea in India and the identification of…
Crop diversification finds home for ‘orphan crops’
The term ‘orphan crops’ refers to plant species and varieties that of recent decades have been ignored by governments, seed companies and scientists due to their limited importance in global markets. Instead, only a few major staples have been of interest. From fruits and vegetables to grains and nuts, many orphan crops are highly nutritious,…
IPPC and Plantwise lead successful workshop for coordinated plant protection in East Africa
Watch the video here. From Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, key representatives of agricultural institutions gathered in Nairobi for the first ever joint workshop led by CABI’s Plantwise programme and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat. The workshop was convened in an effort to exchange national experiences in plant protection and pave the way…
Update: Plant Health News (26 Feb 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including drought affecting coffee in Brazil, new biodegradable mulches that could be used as an alternative to polyethylene and innovative farm machinery used in Bangladesh. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Finding ‘a way forward’ at Sri Lanka’s national Plantwise forum
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_iGco5z-E&w=560&h=315] Over 60 stakeholders from Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector came together in the hilltops over Kandy in Sri Lanka recently to exchange experiences and discover strategies for implementing the Plantwise model on the ground. Video also available on Vimeo here. Coming from extension, research, private enterprise, academia and policy-making, attendees at this national forum…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (19 Feb 14)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include a new psylla pest reported on pear trees in Egypt, the first report of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum‘ on pepper in Honduras and the first report of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causing sclerotinia blight…
Direct2Farm reaches 4 million farmers in India
The Direct2Farm (D2F) project, run by CABI, provides mobile information services to farmers in India. Two D2F initiatives in India that use voice-based systems to communicate with farmers, mKisan and IKSL, have now cumulatively reached over 4 million farmers. The use of mobile technology allows extension messages to reach isolated communities that have few means…
CEO Trevor Nicholls live at The Economist’s Feeding the World 2014
Bringing together key players in food security from the private, public and civil society sector, the Economist’s annual Feeding the World conference yesterday in London also highlighted CABI’s efforts to level the playing field for the smallholder farmer. Invited to speak on the afternoon panel focused on trade and supply chain resources, CABI’s CEO Dr…